Beating Hearts Baby
by munchkin-hime
Summary: Jade's fallen for a certain doglike boy, who also happens to be her best friend - Kiba Inuzuka. She's afraid of ruining the close friendship they have together. But tables start to turn and a certain event opts to change their minds. KibaxOC
1. Introduction

**A/N: **New story! So, I completely adore Kiba from Naruto. Like..a lot. x'D *clings to Kiba* I had started writing this last year, and only got two chapter two before I stopped. Anyway, I dug it up a few days ago and thought that it had some potential. Though there was a big ugly, lump in the middle of it. (Which I got rid of, x'D) So anyway, I decided to re-write it. Or at least the two chapters I had done, anyway. So here it is! ^_^

Also, I originally wrote the story without Sakura... But during the re-write I wrote her in. But then I didn't like where the story went once I added her, so I took her back out. And I really hope you guys don't mind! And if you do, I'm really sorry. But it worked for the story, so I hope you can look past it and still enjoy the story if it bothers you. ^_^

I know I have a few stories going, but I think that I can balance it all out. Though I think this, (BHB) and OLS are going to be my main priorities.

Anyway, enough chatter! Enjoy!

* * *

"Kakashi Sensei...?"

The way the older man was silent, his eyes shifting back and forth occasionally, the way his fingers tried to reach for a weapon, showed that he wasn't calm. Kakashi was usually a rather calm and laid back man. But now...

"Sensei, what do we do?" Jade repeated, swallowing with fear. Kakashi reached an arm back and covered her mouth with his hand, "Stay calm."

She sunk back, knowing that her Sensei wasn't even calm, didn't make _her_ want to be calm. Her eyes trailed down to Kakashi's shuriken hold, where his fingers were digging around for a weapon.

"They can smell the fear on you," Sasuke, in a slight battle stance said from beside Jade, whose eyes were quivering frightfully. She swallowed with more nervousness then fear, "What do you mean?"

"They have sharp noses. They can smell your fear. Try and stay calm."

"But Kakashi Sensei-."

Sasuke sent her a powerful glare, telling her to be quiet. She was quickly losing her cool, though and fear was enveloping her. Sure, she and her team had faced a lot of different enemies before, but...

"They're just wolves," Naruto scoffed, eyebrows furrowed. "I can take 'em."

"Let me handle this, Naruto," Kakashi stated calmly, taking a slow step forward. "Kitai."

A woman with ivory skin stood in the middle of a pack of wolves. She wore a wolf headpiece on her black, blue hued hair. She had tall, black boots on, and shorts to match the color with a silver utility belt hanging from them. She wore silver armour on her chest, with a black turtleneck underneath. She was holding a katana in her left hand, "What's with the brats, Kakashi?"

'Why does everyone seem to know Sensei?' Jade, Naruto and Sasuke all thought flatly.

"They're my students," Kakashi replied, raising his hand in front of his face.

"I guess they mean something to you then," she mused, resting her katana on the ground. "Am I right?"

Kakashi pushed his Leaf headband up to reveal his left Sharingan eye, "I'd die for all of them."

"It's like me and my wolves..." Kitai, the woman, began. "I care for my wolves." Her eyes narrowed as her face darkened, "Problem is...we've been having trouble finding food these days."  
Jade swallowed her fear again, only to see a wolf sniff the air, and send a cold look her way.

"That's too bad," Kakashi replied, holding his kunai tightly.

"We haven't eaten for at _least_ three days. We're mighty hungry," Kitai continued. "But how lucky we are...To stumble across dinner so easily."

"She's crazy..." Jade whispered to herself, but loud enough for her teammates to hear. Naruto nodded his head in agreement.

"Babies..." Kitai spoke softly, in a soothing tone, "We've found dinner." The wolves seemed to growl and snarl, each eyeing one of the ninja from Leaf.

Kakashi held his kunai out in front of him, eyes narrowed into a deadly glare. Kitai raised her katana again, pursing her lips, "What're you gonna do, Kakashi? Summon your_ dogs_?" She smirked, "They're simply no match for my wolves."

"My dogs couldn't handle this," Kakashi told her. "But my students can."

"Sensei...!" Jade was in shock. She closed her eyes to try and relax. She couldn't handle this. She felt as if she were about to break down.

"Are you okay?" Naruto asked her, steadying her, seeing that she was swaying slightly.

"I... I feel dizzy..." she replied in a breathless tone.

"Are you going to pass out?" a worry line creased Naruto's brow.

She just closed her eyes again as Naruto kept a secure arm around her.

Kitai pointed her katana at Kakashi, and the three genin. The wolves snarled one last time, before leaping forward at the team.

"Look out!" Kakashi warned, turning around quickly, the wolves having leapt right past him. Then a sharp pain hit his shoulder, and he turned to see Kitai's katana resting on it.

Naruto scooped Jade up under his arm and leapt out of the way of the wolves. The wolves skidded to a stop and glared at them.

"Sensei!" Naruto shouted. "Jade! She won't move!"

Kakashi threw Kitai off of him, and glanced over at a worried Naruto by a paralysed Jade. She was sitting on the ground, inches behind Naruto, her eyes wide in fear. She was terrified.

'What's...wrong with her?' Kakashi thought, before dodging a wolf's bite.

"Fire Style : Fireball jutsu!" Sasuke yelled, before blowing a huge ball of fire out of his mouth. It headed straight for the wolves, but they fled - dodging the attack. Sasuke silently cursed to himself, before raising his arms up in defence. A wolf held its paws against his crossed arms, snarling and drooling. He swung his foot, tripping the wolf.

"Jade, please get up!" Naruto begged, shaking her by the shoulders. She stared at Sasuke holding off the pack of wolves by himself, and Kakashi battling Kitai. And here she was, off on the sidelines, watching and holding Naruto back with her.

"What's _wrong_ with you!?" Naruto asked, his tone demanding, a hint of anger in it. "Move!"

She shook her head, "Naruto..."

"Come on!" he yelled at her.

"I...I don't know why...I'm so scared..." she whispered, her lips feeling unbearably dry.

"That's what they want!" Naruto snapped, "You're better than that! Come on!"

"Get up, loser!" Sasuke yelled, pushing a wolf off of him, and holding a kunai in his other hand.

She just hung her head.

Suddenly her left cheek recieved impact. Naruto had punched her. Jade touched a hand to her cheek and Naruto gritted his teeth.

"You're not acting like yourself!" he snapped.

She glared up at him, "That wasn't like you, Naruto."

"This isn't like you!"

"..." She was silent for a second, before her lips curved upwards into a smirk, "You're right." Naruto stood back as Jade picked herself up, "I'll never get anywhere in this world if I'm afraid, ne?" Naruto have a nod of the head.

"Naruto! Jade!" Sasuke yelled. "Get in here and help me!"

The two ninja ran into the pack of wolves Sasuke was fighting off, and began to assist in battle.

"That one's weak," Kitai told Kakashi, smirking, referring to Jade.

Kakashi blocked her katana with the metal plates on his gloves, "Is that what you think of her?"

"Scratch that..." Kitai said, "She's _very_ weak."

Kakashi narrowed his eyes, before slipping out of the way of one of Kitai's attacks, "She may seem weak, but she's strong."

"Says you," Kitai swung a fist at him.

"Her nature is different..." Kakashi said, standing in front of Kitai, who was panting.

"How so?" she asked, swallowing to regain her steady breathing.

"From what I can tell... Half of her nature is being a ninja...but the other half isn't."

"Poor kid," Kitai said in a sarcastic, yet sympathetic tone.

"She's gentle. Fragile. But she _is_ strong."

"She's a good fighter, eh?"

Kakashi nodded, "She's gotten stronger over time. But she still manages to keep her gentleness."

"Great," Kitai's tone was irritated.

"We'll be here all day if I try to explain her. But to wrap things up...she's different."

"Different?" she cackled, before slashing her katana at Kakashi, regaining her strength. He dodged it by ducking, but it cut some of the hair on top of his head.

"_I'm_ different!" Kitai boasted, looking down at her wolf-like appearance. Her yellow, gray eyes glistened in what was left of the sun. "The kids back in my village all thought I was weird!"

Kakashi leapt up, dodging Kitai's katana again, throwing some shuriken in the process. He landed and dusted himself off, "No one thinks he's weird in our village."

"Who?" Kitai asked, nose wrinkled slightly, the stench of blood reaching her nose. She peeked behind Kakashi, only to see that some of her wolves had fallen.

"Her best friend is...a _dog_."

Kitai looked back, "What?" She was knocked to the ground, as Kakashi punched her back.

"But like you, he _is_ cocky."

"What are you talking about!?" Kitai questioned in an angry tone, wiping blood from her mouth.

Kakashi smiled from under his mask, "He's a little different, too."

"What are you talking about!?" she yelled.

"Not as crazy as you..."

"Shut up!" Kitai threw some shuriken at Kakashi, which glided right past his head.

"I suppose I'll stop now," he smiled again, taking out a kunai, "Bye, bye Kitai."

Her eyes widened, and she hopped back as Kakashi sliced the air with the kunai. She howled once, having what was left of her wolves return to her.

"This isn't settled, Kakashi!' she hollered, running off with her wolves by her side. As she ran, she couldn't help but wonder about this dog boy Kakashi had mentioned. Was he different like her? She had a wolf-like appearance, and moved like a wolf at times. Was this boy like her...or different?

*

"You alright?" Kakashi asked Jade, later. Team Seven walked down the path leading back to Konoha.

"I'm sorry for freezing up like that," she apologized sheepishly.

Naruto made a face, "And I'm real sorry for punching you like that, Jade-chan... but I couldn't think of anything else.."

"It's alright."

"But at least you came around!" he grinned. "Sasuke would've been a goner if it wasn't for us!"

"Don't push it, Naruto," Sasuke muttered.

Jade watched them for a second, before looking up at Kakashi, "Sensei, who was that woman?"

"Kitai," he replied, still walking, his hands in his pockets.

"What was with all of the wolves?" Naruto asked. Sasuke showed equal curiosity about them, but wouldn't show it.

"She's friends with the wolves... I guess you could say she can control some of them," Kakashi explained.

"Uh, Sensei, is _she_ a wolf?" Jade asked him.

"While her appearance comes off slightly wolf-like, she's still human."

"Her eyes were just like a wolf's," Sasuke said, recalling Kitai's unique wolf eyes.

"They may look just like a wolf's, but they don't work like one," Kakashi responded. "She may give off a wolf-like appearance, and at times she may be able to move like a wolf... But it's just something she picked up."

"So...She's not like Kiba, is she?" Jade questioned, curiosity in her chocolate brown eyes.

"In a way yes..." Kakashi trailed off. "But Kiba has a sharp nose... Just like a dog's. Kitai has no wolf-like traits, besides her appearance and movement at times."

"Wait... I don't get it..." Naruto said, squinting. "How are Kiba and this Kitai person different again?"

Kakashi ruffled Naruto's hair, "You never were the brightest."

"Um, Sensei..." Jade picked up her pace to catch up with him.

"Yes, what is it, Jade?" he looked down at her.

She raised a finger, "That wolf headpiece Kitai was wearing... What-?"

"It's more an accessory than anything," Kakashi told her. "It doesn't store chakra, or any weapons, and it's not needed for any jutsus. She only really wears it to show her love of wolves, and to add to her...wolf like nature." His eyes softened, "Just don't ask me if it's real."

Naruto, Jade and Sasuke all exchanged wary glances.

"Does she have any jutsus?" Sasuke asked. "I only saw her using that katana to attack."

"She has one or two jutsus... I don't really recall them, though..." then he smiled. "Almost home."

Team Seven had started out with a mission out of Konoha, and on their way back they had run into Kitai and her wolves. They were just happy to be getting home. And Jade absolutely couldn't wait to see a certain dog-like boy.

"So, enough about Kitai!" Naruto exclaimed. "Let's talk about how I kicked butt back there!"

"Loser, you hardly did anything!" Sasuke snapped.

"Did so!"

"Did not!"

Jade impatiently closed her eyes, trying to block their latest argument out of her head. When she opened them they had ran ahead of her and Kakashi, trying to walk faster than the other. She sweatdropped, then looked off to the side to see the orange hued sky.

"Looks like it's you and me then, Jade," Kakashi said, sighing and taking his eyes off of Naruto and Sasuke. When he didn't get an answer, he raised an eyebrow, "Jade?"

She was walking with a small smile on her lips, still looking to the side - lost in her own thoughts.

But her thoughts were interrupted when she accidentally walked into a tree.

"**Oi**, Jade-chan!" Naruto swivelled around to see if she was alright. Sasuke stopped a few inches ahead of him.

She sat up on her elbows, rubbing her head and groaning, "Ow..."

Sasuke sighed, "She's doing it again."

She just ignored him; still groaning, still rubbing her head and still on the ground. She looked up to meet Kakashi's gaze, who was looking down at her, "What's he talking about, Sensei?"

Kakashi only smiled, "He's right. You _are_ doing it again."

"Doing _what_?" she raised an eyebrow in curiosity, having no clue what she could possibly be doing. Again.

"Let me guess," Kakashi mused. "You're thinking of him. Right?"

"**Ano**..." she fumbled, and looked ahead to see Naruto and Sasuke in the distance. "Who?"

Kakashi chuckled, offering her his hand, "Let's get going."

"But...But who?" she asked again, as she and Kakashi walked behind Naruto and Sasuke.

"You know who I'm talking about."

"...How much longer, Sensei?" she asked, steering away from the subject completely.

"We're almost there," he chuckled. "I can see you're anxious to see him."

Leave it to Kakashi to tease her. He and Naruto were the only ones who knew.

"Well..." she looked away. "I can't wait to see everyone...Shikamaru, Lee, K-..." She cut herself off, and heard Kakashi chuckle once again.

"Oh, of course."

"Sensei!"

"Alright," he waved his hands out in front of him. "I won't tease you anymore."

"I doubt that..." she muttered darkly.

"I do, too."

Jade sighed. Naruto and Sasuke were already being competitive in getting back to Konoha first, and now Kakashi was teasing her. This was going to be a longer trip than she thought.

"So, when did it all start?" Kakashi asked her, his calm expression back on his face.

"You said you wouldn't tease me anymore..." Jade mumbled, attempting to change the subject again.

"Don't answer if you don't want to."

The tone he was using was warm, letting her know that she could trust him with her answer. She sighed. If there was anyone Jade could tell anything to it was Kakashi Hatake. She she decided to answer.

"I think..." she put a finger to her cheek. "...I think I started having feelings for him the day I first met him."

"Love at first sight?"

"Not exactly..." she replied, smoothly. "But when I first met him I had a strong liking to him. More as a close friend then anything. But I always wanted to be around him... Over time the feelings just got stronger..."

"And tada."

Jade nodded, "Tada. I've got a crush on dog boy."

"Nowadays it seems like more than a crush," Kakashi stated.

"What'd you mean?" she asked nervously.

"Forget I said anything," she saw the fabric of his mask shift, showing that he was smiling.

"I mean, he's my best friend," she said quietly, looking off into twilit sky. "But, I think..." She stopped, trailing off. Kakashi didn't seem to mind; it seemed like he knew what she was going to say, anyway.

You could find her talking to Kakashi a lot, if she wasn't with her best friend, Kiba. Or off somewhere by herself, just thinking. Or sometimes, she could be found cloud watching or napping with Shikamaru. Or at Ichiraku with Naruto.

She looked back up at Kakashi, who now had his little orange book, Make-out Paradise, under his nose.

"Almost home," he said brightly, not taking his eyes off of the page. "It'll be nice to turn in."

Jade nodded her head in agreement, trying to sneak a peek at the contents of his book. He sensed this and quickly shut it, giggling nervously, "It's nothing. Really."

"If you say so..." she said, the tone in her voice showing that she obviously wasn't buying it.

"Anyway, once we get back I'll have to go report the mission and file it. Care to tag along?" he asked, his lazy eye landing on Jade.

"Hm," she continued walking for a second. "Maybe."

"I'll take that as a yes."

"It's a maybe!" she argued, before releasing a breath. "Fine, I'll come."

"It's not as boring as you think, you know."

"When the four of us went together, Naruto fell asleep, Sasuke wanted to leave, and I was staring out a window for an hour," Jade said, shuddering from the memory.

"You kids have no patience," Kakashi said, hitting her shoulder lightly.

Soon the Konoha gates came into view, and Jade's face instantly lit up. Kakashi seemed relieved, too, as he came to a stop in front of the gates. The guards on duty nodded to him, and opened the gates up to reveal Konoha.

Jade smiled, glad to be home after such a long day. Travelling out of the village, and completing the mission were enough. But then having to bump into Kitai and her wolves. And then they had to travel all the way back to Konoha. As Shikamaru would put it: _How troublesome._

The moon had taken the sun's place in the sky, for the night. The glow of the moon shone down on the buildings, creating a somewhat eerie scene. Though lots of residents of Konoha had gone home, or turned in, the village was still bustling with activity. Mostly night owls, party animals, or ninja just coming back from a mission. Like Team Seven.

The Ichiraku Ramen bar was filled with customers, one of them being Naruto. He had gotten his butt over there already.

Jade looked around for Sasuke, but he had disappeared so she assumed that he had headed home. She looked up to see Kakashi still by her side. He looked down at her, "We better get over to the Hokage Place, then."

Jade responded by nodding, and Kakashi headed towards said building. Jade trailed along after him. She could tell that this was going to be fun. She wondered if Kakashi would be mad if she made up an excuse to leave. She released a sigh, 'Nah, I'll just stick around...'

"**Ano**... Kakashi Sensei...?"

"What is it?" he asked, dodging a man running after a small boy, fist raised.

"How long will this take?" she asked, looking up at the moon. It was pretty late. She had wanted to get home earlier, so she could go see...

"Not long," Kakashi replied, putting one hand in his pocket, and using the other to hold Make-out Paradise in front of his face. "Thanks for coming along, though."

"You're welcome..."

Then Kakashi laughed, "Sorry for dragging you along, Jade-chan. I know you wanted to see him."

"**Ano**... I don't mind..." Jade fumbled, twiddling her thumbs together. "I'll just find him tomorrow. That's all."

"That's what I like about you," Kakashi said, lowering his book for a moment. "You're usually positive. Trying to make the best of the situation."

The comment made her smile, as she continued on her way to the Hokage Place with him.

"Besides, it's a bit too late for you to go find him now, anyway," Kakashi pointed out. "He's probably in bed. And you wouldn't want to wake him, would you?"

Jade shook her head, "He trains hard. He needs rest." She heard him chuckle, and craned her neck to look up at him, curiosity shining in her deep brown ores, "What's so funny?"

He shook his head, "Nothing."

She just sighed.

"Here we are," Kakashi said, tucking his book away, standing in front of the Hokage Place. "Won't take long. Promise."

Jade placed her hands on her hips, "Pinky promise?"

"I told you, it's too late for you to go and see him," he told her. She just sighed an irritated sigh, "I'm tired. I want to go home. Pinky promise...now." He stuck his pinky out, and she hooked hers around it. "Thank you for your cooperation," she thanked him, running to the doors of the Hokage Place. "So, come on, let's speed things up!"

Kakashi climbed up the stairs to the door, "Thanks for keeping me company."

"Yeah, yeah..." she motioned for him to go inside. "Let's go old man!"

He laughed, "I'm not that old."

"You know what I mean!" she said, as he walked into the building. She followed, closing the door behind her.

She would go find Kiba tomorrow.

And if you haven't figured it out, yet... She was in love with her best friend. Kiba Inuzuka.

* * *

Translations:

**Ano:** Um

As a last note, every Naruto story I've written (excluding this) has come out pretty bad. I mean, it's pretty hard to follow a 100+-? episode storyline. And I don't exactly plan on following the storyline.. (teams, zabuza arc, chuunin exams, sasuke retrieval arc.) I may write a story following the storyline completely, sometime...but not right now. So I hope I don't destroy anything for you, as me and my friend put it. x'D

I really am scared writing a Naruto story. I'm just afraid I'll ruin it for myself, or others. D: So review, and tell me what you think of the story in general, about no Sakura (i really am sorry to anyone that bothers), and, well, what I just said above. About..not following, exactly. Let's just make a block of time in our hands. I hope you can also look past that, and enjoy it. ^_^

I just want everyone to be happy!

Reviews, please! ^_^


	2. Kiba Inuzuka

"Ah, there she is!"

A familiar voice reached Jade's ears, just as she was on her way over to the Inuzuka compound. She turned around, a warm smile taking place on her lips, "Kiba."

The boy ran up to her, his nin-dog by his side. He stopped in front of her, grinning madly, "Missed you last night. When'd you get back?"

"Um..." she could feel her cheeks slowly heating up. "I'm not...Late." She smiled weakly.

"I stayed up waiting for you. Hana was getting really mad!" he said, laughing as he scratched his head.

"You did?" she asked in surprise.

He nodded, his canine-like teeth peeking out over his bottom lip a little, "I didn't think you'd get back so late."

She quickly brushed his cheek with her thumb, "Your teeth, Kiba." She giggled quietly as he raised an eyebrow, "My _teeth_?" His eyes filled with realization, and he licked his lips, his teeth going back to hiding.

"So where were you heading?" he asked her, looking off in the direction she was previously walking.

"I was on my way over to your house," she replied, putting a hand to her cheek to try and hide her faint blush.

"Heh, me and Akamaru have been looking for you all morning," Kiba told her. "We stopped by your house, but your **kasaan **said you stepped out." He made a face, "She could of told me where..." Akamaru barked; it sounded irritated.

"That's my **kasaan** for you..."

"So, hey, how did your mission go?" he asked her, changing the subject. Akamaru sat quietly by his master, wagging his tail, waiting to hear the reply.

"It went fine..." she said flatly, before shooting her eyes downcast. "On our way back, though, we bumped into this woman named Kitai."

"What happened?" Kiba asked, in a concerned tone. The way Jade's expression had changed at the mention, told him something must of gone wrong.

"..." her dry lips parted to start her sentence. "She and her wolves attacked us."

"Wolves?" Kiba's eyes widened a little, before asking, "Did you get hurt? Are you okay?" He quickly sniffed her, then lifted her arm, inspecting her. He circled her, like an animal circling it's prey.

"I'm fine, Kiba," she laughed at his behaviour. "Sure, a few scratches here and there...But nothing serious."

Kiba released a relieved breath, and crossed his arms, "You said she and her _wolves_ attacked you?"

"Yeah."

"...Wolves?" he raised an eyebrow.

"It's kinda like your family and dogs..." she pointed out. He glanced down at Akamaru, who was scratching behind his ear.

"Enough about my mission..." she pointed a finger at the dog-like boy, who had his head bowed in thought. "How was your mission?" she asked.

"Huh?" he looked up, her question breaking his thoughts, "What was that...?"

"Your mission. How was it?"

He made a face, "Boring." She showed a sympathetic frown.

He sighed, and smiled softly, before his ears perked up a little. He turned around slowly, Shino coming towards him. Jade blinked a few times, then felt uneasy. Shino always kind of freaked her out, and she wasn't really friends with him. Akamaru whimpered, his ears flopping.

"You're late," Shino stated calmly, perching in front of Kiba, who only groaned. Shino continued, "You're late. Kurenai Sensei is waiting."

"Team Seven got to fight off wolves!" Kiba interjected, grinning.

"Kiba..." Jade sighed.

Shino didn't say anything for a few minutes, then simply turned and walked away, "You have ten seconds."

"...Minutes?" Kiba asked hopefully, as Akamaru hopped onto his head.

"Ten seconds," Shino repeated, continuing on his way.

"I'll see you later," Kiba said quickly, abruptly grabbing Jade's wrist and pulling her body close to his, engulfing her in a hug. Her heart skipped a beat, and she was afraid that it would stop all together. He didn't know what he did to her.

"Bye!" he called, having broken away from her. He and Akamaru ran after Shino, as Jade watched them, wearing an expression she herself couldn't even describe. It was a cross between love, admiration and sadness. These feelings just wouldn't go away.

"**Oi**, we have training, Jade-chan!" a familiar voice chimed, from behind Jade, breaking her trance. She turned around to face Naruto, "Right. I knew that."

"Well, come on then!" he said, taking her hand and dragging her down the street. He sniffed the air a little, then let go of her hand to pinch his nose, "You smell like dog." She gave him a flat expression, and he groaned, "Let me guess... Kiba was just here."

"You're mean."

"Sorry," he said, extending the 'O' in the word, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. He turned a corner, heading towards the appointed location for training.

"Why in such a hurry?" she asked him flatly. "Kakashi Sensei's always late, anyway."

"What's gotten into you?" Naruto stopped and turned around, knocking on her head, "Jade-chan? You in there somewhere?"

She pushed his hand off, "Just in an off mood, today... I guess." She finished lamely, Kiba's touch still lingering on her body.

Naruto blinked a bit from beside her, before proceeding to ask, "What happened?"

"Nothing, Naruto."

"Did he do something to hurt you?" he asked, referring to Kiba.

"Sort of..." she murmured in a response, walking a little ahead of the blonde. One simple hug. It wasn't her fault that she had fallen so hard for Kiba, was it? Almost everything he did charmed her, intoxicated her. She adored him. He made her sigh in admiration, he gave her a funny feeling in her tummy.

When she was smaller, she didn't like Kiba as anything more than a close friend. That was the time that she had, had a puppy love crush on Sasuke.

Competition for his acknowledgement began to bother her, and she decided to give up on him - she hadn't liked him _that_ much, anyway. Sure he was pretty good looking, and she admired his skills, but her crush moved onto Kiba. Only to grow into something _so_ much bigger.

Years of this. It was taunting, in a way.

Her response floated in the air for a little bit, until Naruto said, "We have to fight Kakashi Sensei, today."

"Can't wait."

"Maybe you can talk him out of it? I'm beat."

Jade gasped lightly, "What? The next Hokage is _beat_? Impossible!"

Naruto laughed, "We all have our limits."

"Yours is abnormal."

"Good morning, children."

The two genin looked up to meet the gaze of the Hokage. He smiled at them, lifting his hand to wave, "Off to training, I see."

Jade and Naruto nodded in unison, before Jade said, "We have to fight Sensei, today."

"Sounds like a challenge. Kakashi is very skillfull," Hokage replied.

Naruto nodded again, "He's real strong!"

"If you defeat him, I'm sure that you'll feel awfully proud of yourself," the Hokage tipped his hat lighty, before walking off, hands clasped behind his back, his robes billowing in the soft breeze.

"I hope you'll be nice to the genin when you're Hokage, Naruto," Jade said softly, as she and her blonde friend made their way over to the training grounds.

"Of course," he smiled. She had always believed in him. Sure, she thought he could be a little annoying at times, and sometimes she might hit him once in a while, but she was like a best friend to him.

As the two genin entered the training grounds, they spotted Sasuke sharpening his kunai knives.

"Hi, Sasuke," Jade greeted, casting a shadow down on him.

"Hn."

"Jerk..." Naruto muttered to himself, not being able to help it.

"Likewise."

Jade sighed, and only hoped that Kakashi Sensei would get there soon. As the two boys continued to bicker, Jade seated herself down by a random post. She stared at her hands for a little while, until making a hand sign. Then another, and another. Soon, she had gone through all of them. She released a bored sigh, blocking Naruto and Sasuke's newest argument out of her mind. She reached into her shuriken hold, and took out a few shuriken, throwing them in the boys direction.

"**Oi**!" Naruto jumped out of the way, stumbling and falling back. "What was _that_!? Jade-chan!?"

She giggled to herself, quickly taking her hand out of her shuriken hold.

"You're immature," Sasuke stated, making her glare a little. She stuck her tongue out at him, which made Naruto snicker.

"Morning."

A voice the three knew all too well was heard, and they looked up to see Kakashi perched on a branch in a nearby tree. He waved to them, a smile plastered on his face, "Sorry I'm late. An eagle dropped from the sky and-."

"You're late!" Jade and Naruto accused, angry looks on their faces as they pointed up at him. Kakashi giggled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck, before jumping down to join his students. "So, I see that we're all here and accounted for." They all nodded, bored expressions on their faces. Kakashi nodded back at them, and placed his hands on his hips, "For training today, you'll all be fighting me. _Together_." He eyed Naruto and Sasuke as he said the last part, "Use teamwork."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, and Naruto grunted in annoyance.

"Well, when you're ready..." Kakashi told them. As soon as he spoke, Naruto lunged forward, fist raised. He released a battle cry, and threw his punch. Kakashi easily caught it, and held it there as he reached into his pouch for Make-out Paradise.

'I hate when he does that,' Jade thought, running off to hide somwhere. She leapt into a tree, keeping a low profile. She peeked out from behind the leaves and branches, to see Naruto throwing random kicks and punches at Kakashi. 'Naruto never changes...' she thought, smiling to herself.

She felt extra weight on the branch she was crouched on, and turned around.

'Oh, shoot!' her eyes widened. She almost fell out of the tree, but she managed to keep her posture.

"Boo," Kakashi said quietly, eyes curved into a smile. Jade blinked at him, before glancing back down at Naruto. The Kakashi he was fighting disappeared in a poof of smoke, leaving a log.

'Logged...' Jade thought, a blank expression on her face. She turned back to face her Sensei, who was holding a kunai in his hand.

"You always _were_ the best in teamwork," Kakashi said. "What're you doing here alone?"

"Well, I can't work out a plan in under ten seconds!" she replied cooly, slipping out of the tree. She ran past a confused Naruto, who was currently looking for his Sensei. She didn't really know where she was going, but she needed to get away from Kakashi so that she could work out a strategy. It was something she had picked up from Shikamaru. At least, that was what she assumed. But she had always believed in teamwork. She liked to think that teamwork was key, despite the fact that Kakashi had said that once.

She froze instantly, seeing Kakashi standing inches in front of her, "Surprise!"

Her right eye twitched a little, before she threw a kick at him. He caught her ankle, and flipped her, making her land on her knees. Her knees were always a weaker point, and Kakashi knew that.

"Targeting the knees is dangerous, Sensei," she told him, beginning to pick herself up.

"Did I hurt you _that_ bad?" he questioned her, tauntingly.

She shook her head, recovering from the fall and throwing a punch. Kakashi dodged, by simply leaning out of the way. She narrowed her eyes slightly, launching another kick - which Kakashi caught again. Using this to his advantage, he lifted her up, dangling her from her ankle.

She flailed her arms a little, the gravity pulling down on her hair, the blood rushing to her head.

Kakashi chuckled, "That was fun."

"_Was_?" Jade repeated, lifting her head up ever so slightly to catch a better glimpse of her Sensei. He smiled from underneath his mask, before releasing her ankle. She fell to the ground with a thud. While she was down, Kakashi jumped off, in search of Sasuke, who he had yet to fight.

Jade sat up and rubbed her head, searching for the huge lump that should be there. But she didn't find it, thank goodness.

Suddenly, something whizzed past her, making her hair blow all over the place. She covered her face with her arms for protection, and when she felt whatever it was had passed by, she looked up.

Kiba crouched in front of Akamaru, patting his head. He turned to see Jade and grinned, "Oh, hey!"

"What're you doing out here?" she asked, picking herself up and waking over to him.

"Well, training," he replied, standing up and looking around and finding himself in a different place from where he had started. "I didn't mean to come this far, though." Then he grinned, Jade's heart slowly skipping a beat as he did. "But I'm glad I did."

She smiled, a blush creeping onto her cheeks, "Well, I'm glad you did, too." She got down on her knees, patting Akamaru.

"So what're _you_ doing?" he inquired, also crouching down and beginning to pat his dog, too. His rough hand brushed lightly against her small one, as she drew it back, "Uh, training..."

"What happened to your knees?" he asked suddenly, his eyes trailing down to her slightly battered knees. She covered them with her hands, surprised he had noticed, "Uh, Kakashi Sensei."

"D'you wanna do something later?"

His question hit her immediately, "Like what?"

"I don't know," he shrugged, as Jade ruffled Akamaru's ears. "Whatever you wanna do."

"I guess we could go to Ichiraku after training," she said, thoughtfully. "Get something to eat."

"Sounds good," he smiled, snapping his fingers and catching Akamaru's attention who leapt into his jacket. "I'll meet you there. See ya, Jade-chan."

"Bye, Kiba," she said, as he leapt into the trees, leaving her by herself again. She looked around her surroundings, not even remembering where she had come from.

With a fat sweatdrop rolling down her face, she quietly called out, "Um...Kakashi Sensei! Can you come get me?"

oOo

"You...seem quiet," Kiba pointed out later that day, sitting with Jade at Ichiraku as two bowls of ramen were placed in front of the duo.

She took a pair of chopsticks, and then handed one to Kiba, facing him with innocence in her eyes, "Really?"

"It's not those wolves is it?" he asked, taking it from her. "You said you didn't get hurt."

"I didn't," she reassured him. "But... I was so scared." She stared at her reflection in the soup, before it quivered out of place. Her eyes slid across the counter to see Kiba's fist planted firmly on it, "OK, Jade. I'm not buying this anymore. I wanna know everything."

"Kiba, I already told you-."

"Everything."

She sighed, resting her chin in her palm, and then extending her hand to give Akamaru a pat on the head, "Well, we finished our mission and we were just heading home when we bumped into Kitai And I guess her and Kakashi have fought in the past or something, because they seemed to recognize each other right off the bat. Anyway, she had a pack of wolves with her."

"Yeah, and?"

She put her hand down, turning her head to face Kiba, "She told us she and her wolves hadn't eaten in a while..."

His eyes widened slightly, "...And?"

"So she attacked us," she said plainly. "Kitai went after Kakashi, and the wolves came at Naruto, Sasuke and I. Except... I froze up. I was scared."

Kiba's face softened, "Then what? Those jerks protected you, right?"

Her eyes glinted at the chosen titles, "Those _jerks_ are my teammates, Kiba..."

"Sorry."

She looked back into her bowl, gathering some noodles with her chopsticks, "I despise my own weakness."

Kiba frowned, "Jade-chan... You're not weak."

She ignored this, "Naruto managed to get me out of the way, but I just wouldn't move!" She shook her head at herself, "Sasuke was holding off all those wolves himself, while I was cowering on the sidelines and holding Naruto back!"

Akamaru whimpered, rubbing against her forearm in a comforting effort, as she continued, "In the end Naruto...he punched me." She heard Kiba growl from beside her, and she could sense his muscles tightening. He'd always been pretty protective of her - wishing her a safe journey on any mission, no matter the size or difficulty.

"But I'm glad he did," she said before he could say anything. "I guess fear only holds you back from moving forward. Right?"

"Right."

"And that's it," she said simply. "I'm not hurt or anything. I told you that, already. You don't have to worry about me. Let's just eat!" She began to eat up her meal, as Kiba just smiled.

"Yeah, you're right."

"But hey, you wouldn't wanna watch the sunset with me later. Would you?" she asked, wiping her mouth.

"No, I would."

oOo

"I guess this is what they mean by simple pleasures, huh?" Jade asked quietly, sitting on a hill that evening with Kiba - as the sun slowly disappeared behind the horizon. The sky was contrasting with shades of orange, yellow and red - soft pinks and purples seeping through.

"Yeah," he agreed, Akamaru napping by his feet.

She closed her eyes, letting a warm breeze drift past her face, "I love sunsets... They're my favorite part of the day..."

"They kinda remind me of you..." Kiba said quietly, as Jade cracked an eye open - her cheeks crimson. At the lack of a response, he quietly added, "...sunsets, I mean."

"Yeah, I know..." she swallowed, turning to take a glimpse at the dog-like boy - his sun-kissed skin tone glowing with the disappearing light.

"You sure are something, Jade," he said, his eyes set on the disappearing ball of fire. "I just... want you to know that."

She tilted her head at him, "Where'd that come from?"

He blinked, looking her way, "I..." he chuckled. "I don't know... It's just something I thought I oughta let you know..."

She just smiled, "OK. Then...you're something too, Kiba..." Like she had done, he tilted his head at her. She winked, "Just...something I thought I'd let you know..."

He grinned, a faint laugh escaping from him as the two looked back to the setting sun.

"It's really pretty, huh?"

"Yeah," he agreed. "It sure is..."

* * *

Translations:

**Kasaan**: Mom/Mother

**A/N**: YAY! Second chapter - and Kiba! So... I don't really have much to say... Other then that I hoped you enjoyed it! And please review~! ^_^


	3. A Sanctuary

A/N: I prefer replying to reviews here, instead of each one seperately, so... hope you don't mind, guys. And of course, THANK YOU for the reviews! ^_^

**Jeffismyhero1217**: My first review/reviewer for this story! Thank you so much. You know, at first I was a little scared no one was liking/reading this story since I wasn't getting any feedback, so you couldn't believe how happy I was to see your review. :3 I'm glad you're enjoying it so far!

**KibaGirl**: What can I say, I LOVE long reviews! I'm glad that you're liking it! I'm also very glad that you like my OC. ^_^ Though I must admit, truthfully, to me sometimes she can be slightly Mary-Sue. I know, I DID just say that. -sweatdrop- Though she's a lot about character development to me. She grows throughout each story. I have one story (that I won't be posting up here, unfortunately) that goes much deeper in depth with her character and shows a lot more to her... But alas, I've been working on that story for roughly two years, and am waaay to scared to post it up because I've worked so hard on it. -sweatdrop- Anyway, I hope that snippet made any sense at all.. o_O With the quote, I'm glad that you can see that! Because that's what I'm trying to get across~ ^_^ And, ah, the sunset scene... I'm a major fluff lover, so you'll probably see more fluff, if not sunsets in the story. Foreshadowing? Well, that's for you to see.. ;) Anyway, long reply is equivalent to long review. x'D

**XxMichyBabyxX**: Thanks for the review, I'm really glad you like it~ ^_^

**Sir Greatness**: And I'm really glad you like it. ^_^ Ahaa, I'm also sleepy... But here's the update~ ;D

* * *

"Ow, Naruto!" Jade cried the next day, when a certain ninja dressed in orange pounced on her back.

"Where ya headed!?" he asked, sliding off of her back as she sighed, and glanced at him as she continued to walk.

"Um, Kiba's... Why?" she asked timidly, slowing her steps and coming to a halt. Naruto stopped with her, his face softening suddenly as her eyes widened. "What?"

He smiled lightly, "You...really like him don't you?"

Silence washed over the two of them, as they stood by the Yamanaka Flower Shop, as Jade blinked. Then she closed her eyes, and sighed, "Naruto..." She recoiled, her eyes and mouth wide, "WHO SAID ANYTHING ABOUT _THAT_!?"

Naruto laughed, "Heh..." He clasped his hands behind his head of blond spikes, "But really. You know I already know."

They started walking again, "Yeah, I know." she replied carelessly, acting as if the topic wasn't making her giddy and nervous.

"Well do ya or not?" he asked, peeking at her from the corner of his eye.

She watched her feet as she walked, before glancing ahead at the dirt ground, "I guess so... It's not that I don't _want_ to like him... But... eh..." She looked ahead now,the blue sky stretching on endlessly.

"You're scared."

He said it as more of a fact than a question. She was about to protest, until realizing that that was true... She shifted her eyes, "He's my best friend."

"Yeah, I know that," he squinted his eyes. "Ya think I'm stupid, Jade-chan? You two are almost always together. I think anyone could guess that."

"It's just..." she came to another halt for a second, turning to look at her teammate. "It's like if you were to like Sasuke, or something... You guys are like best friends, right? You wouldn't wanna ruin that. You'd be scared...of losing them... If..." she trailed off. "...Naruto?"

Observing him more closely she could see that his jaw was hanging open, and his eyes were wide and blank - his left eye twitching. With a shake of his head, he seemed to tower over her - his eyes glowing red with fury and an anger mark throbbing by his forehead. He shook hard fists at her, "WHAT!?!?!?"

(I...don't like yaoi. *shot* Just trying to add some fun and humor in here. I mean, I don't mind like, fluff picture of SasuNaru or whoever. Like hugs and just cute, sweet, innocent things. x'D I also don't mind AkuRoku (totally different series, wtf) because Roxy doesn't seem to enjoy Axel's... actions much. x'D)

She laughed, "I was just trying to make an example!" But then her lit eyes dimmed, as she looked to her friend again, "But...you understand right?" She looked away, "If I ever told him... I could ruin our friendship. I don't want that to happen..."

"Well you can't just keep those feelings bottled up inside, forever," Naruto said pointedly.

She never replied. Half because she didn't know how to, and half because she didn't want to.

"And how do you know he doesn't feel the same way, too?" he asked, as they began to walk again. "If you never try? Life is full of risks... It's kind of like fear, and I guess it's the same... but sometimes you've just gotta keep moving forward."

She seemed dazed in her own thoughts, as Naruto sweatdropped. One of the deepest things he'd said since he'd woken up that morning and she hadn't heard him...

He cleared his throat, "You still goin' to Kiba's?"

She nodded, absentmindedly.

"I forgot to tell you," he started, grabbing her attention again. "We have a mission."

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THAT SOONER!?"

oOo

Jade sighed, her, Naruto and Sasuke busy cleaning bird droppings off of the Hokage Place. She had just finished her area when she heard Naruto busy yelling at Kakashi Sensei.

"Couldn't you of gotten us a better mission than this, Sensei!?" he demanded, crossing his legs and sitting down on top of the roof, tossing his rag away.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, and Jade just sighed again as Kakashi looked up from his book.

"This... was one of the only missions available," he said. "I...wanted to stay away from some of the higher ranked missions."

"Why!?"

Jade had caught Kakashi's eye as he said the last part, which made her bow her head. She looked down at her hands, sitting on her knees on the roof. She could tell that Kakashi was hiding reason behind his last words. It was her weakness from the last mission, when they bumped into Kitai that had made him avoid the higher ranked missions. It was like... someone losing faith in her. Sure, she wasn't incredibly strong - but she wasn't incredibly weak, either. She could handle higher ranked missions. She had before! There was just something eerie about those wolves and Kitai - she wasn't sure what had happened...

With an inhale of fresh air, she stretched her legs out in front of her, propping her hands up behind her to keep her balance.

"I think we could all use a bit of a break," Sasuke's calm voice reached her ears, as she looked his way - Naruto arguing with Kakashi Sensei away from them.

"Huh?"

A smug look appeared on his face as he shrugged, "Nevermind. I was _trying_ to make you feel better or something."

"Who says I need cheering up?" she demanded, furrowing her eyebrows a little.

"I knew that'd be a waste of breath..."

"Hey!" she made a fist at him, standing up.

"Uh, watch out..." he said, before she realized she was slipping.

"Hey, wait!" she shouted, falling down and then tumbling down the roof. Sasuke only sighed - so, both of his teammates were pretty much clumsy idiots...

Grabbing onto the piping on the edge of the roof, Jade released a relieved breath and looked up to see Sasuke back to work, neglecting to ask if she was alright. Conjuring up her best death glare, she sent it his way - only hoping that it would send shivers down his back.

Carefully getting a better grip on the roof, she began to pull herself up. Her stomach was only grazing the edge when her fingers lost their grip on the shingles, making her slip again.

'Way to help me out, Sasuke...' she thought, looking for something to grab onto. That is...until she landed on someone: causing them to crash to the ground with her coming down on top of them.

She heard a high and surprised gasp, a shocked gawk and a groan from beneath her. Looking down to meet the face of her cushion, she saw Shino's black glasses looking up at her. With a fat sweatdrop rolling slowly down her head, she jumped back, tumbling onto the ground a little ways away from him. But then her mind clicked... Shino.

"Ah, **gomen**!" she apologized quickly, as Hinata helped her fallen teammate up.

"What're you doing falling from the sky?" Kiba asked, crouching down in front of her with Akamaru right by his side - his hands on his knees.

She showed a timid smile, "I, uh... lost my balance." She murmured the last part, as Kiba just showed her an almost amused smirk.

She glanced past him for a second to see Shino wiping dust off of his jacket, and Hinata standing shyly by him.

"I really am sorry, Shino," she repeated. "I didn't mean to."

"It's fine."

She looked back at Kiba, "...What about you? What're you guys doing walking around? I thought you had a mission."

"Nah, we finished up pretty quick. It was only small," he told her, as he took one of her hands in his and hoisted her up.

"Oh, alright," she looked up at the Hokage Place. "We're almost done, too. Maybe..."

"JAAAAAAAAAAAADE!"

With a small cringe, she looked up again, Kiba following her gaze. A blur of orange that was Naruto was jumping from building to building, making his way down. And in a moment, he was on the ground and by Jade and Kiba, bumping Akamaru out of the way which made him whimper and Kiba give the back of his head a glare.

"Sasuke said you fell off the roof!" Naruto motioned with his hands. "I was just checking to see if you were OK."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Uh, thanks to...Shino..." Jade laughed nervously, somewhat embarassed.

"Shino...?" Naruto turned to look at him, but all he got was a wary feeling. He turned back to his teammate, "I see..." His eyes landed on Hinata, raising a hand to wave to her, "Hey, Hinata."

Jade and Kiba watched as the Hyuuga girl's face quickly turned crimson, her eyes fluttering slowly, "N-Naruto..."

"Hey, are you OK?" Naruto raised an eyebrow at her.

"Anyway," Kiba said, bumping Naruto out of the way and closer to Hinata. He looked back to his best friend, "What were you saying?"

"Um, nothing. I forget..." she shifted her eyes around, chocolate orbs being confronted with cerulean ones. Naruto didn't seem pleased with her reply, as he gave her a flat look and crossed his arms.

But Kiba laughed, "Typical." And with a shy smile, Jade quietly laughed along before Naruto came walking over and shoved her out of the way, taking her place in front of Kiba.

"Hey, Kiba. Wanna get a ramen with me and Jade later?" he asked cooly. "We're almost done of our mission. We can meet you there in a few minutes."

Jade's jaw dropped, as one of her hands slowly balled into a fist. Alright, what was he thinking? It wasn't like she couldn't ask Kiba to hang out herself - I mean, she did all the time. They were together everyday. Crossing her arms, she shook her head to herself, "Like he'll accept an invitation from Naruto..."

"Sure."

"Alright, meet you there," Naruto said, as Jade watched from the sideline. Did that just happen? I mean, Naruto and Kiba were friends - but not the best of friends. You could say they weren't on the best terms.

"Just make sure you save some ramen for us..." Kiba told him, in a lower voice than previous.

"Hey!"

"Um," Jade grabbed Naruto's collar, slapping a hand over his moving mouth. "I'll, er, _we'll_ meet you there?"

"Yeah," Kiba nodded, as he picked up Akamaru. "Don't be too long, though. I'm getting kinda hungry."

"Hey, uh," Jade looked Hinata's way. "Why don't you come, too?" She asked, taking note of Naruto's flying mouth. And like Kiba and him would get along with just her there.

Hinata just blinked her pale eyes, "O-OK."

And then a wave of secondhand depression washed over the group, as they all looked Shino's way. Who was, currently, off to the side by himself, his collar shielding the majority of his face.

"Shino-kun..." Hinata said quietly, as Akamaru whined and Kiba sighed, "He's sulking."

"You...can come, too," Jade told him quickly, before giving Kiba and Hinata a grin and leaping off, dragging Naruto with her.

Prying her hand off of his lips, he turned his head to look at her, "Inviting Hinata's one thing! But _Shino!?_"

"He was sulking!"

"I only did that so you and Kiba would hang out! Not so us and all of Squad Eight could hang out!"

"Me and Kiba hang out everyday, Naruto!"

"Yeah, whatever!"

"Well it's not much difference!"

"Then why wouldn't you ask him to do something!"

"'Cause we would've done something anyway!"

"Whatever."

"Whatever!"

oOo

"I can't believe I paid for Naruto's eleventh helping of ramen," Kiba groaned that evening, mourning the loss of pretty much all of his money, having bought ramen helpings three to eleven.

Jade showed a meek smile, "That was really nice of you, though Kiba..."

His hands were shoved in his pockets as he glanced at her, "Yeah, well..." He ended up just grinning, and Jade joined him letting out a little laugh.

Kiba was walking her home, and the sun was only merely beginning to disappear from the sky.

"I guess we won't watch the sunset, today," she murmured, her eyes glued to the burning star. Her chocolate ores seemed to shimmer in the orange sunlight. She parted her lips like she was about to say something, but Kiba intervined.

"D'you wanna watch it?" he asked, Akamaru climbing out of his jacket and onto his head to look.

She shook her head, "No, it's alright."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I..." she paused, her face tensing as she stopped in her steps. Kiba abruptly stopped a bit ahead of her, "What's wrong?"

She turned half way around, looking behind her - her eyes searching... for something. Anything.

"Jade?"

"Uh..." she turned back, shuffling her feet a little, "I just got this weird feeling. Like... like paranoia, or something. I guess it's nothing." She just shrugged, before looking over her shoulder again.

"Are you sure?" Kiba raised an eyebrow. "You seem sort of restless all of a sudden..."

"I just thought... something... I don't know..." she put a hand to her face, her eyebrows furrowing. This awful gut feeling churned around in her stomach as she tried to think. There was nothing there. She was just being paranoid...

_"This isn't settled, Kakashi!'_

A cold shiver ran down her spine. But why? Kitai was out of the way - why couldn't she stop thinking about her and those wolves. She felt herself slipping away, lost in thought - images flashing through her mind rapidly. Wolves, tufts of fur, blood, kunai, dirt, rocks, Kitai, the sunset...

She blinked, taking her eyes off the sunset for a moment and trying to block these thoughts from her head. These were thoughts that were to be forgotten. Ones that were shoved to the back of the mind. Ones that she shouldn't be thinking of, seeing, hearing...

Snarls faded in her mind, and were replaced with barks. Barks from Akamaru, whom whimpered when she blinked her eyes a few times.

"You... froze up for a sec..." Kiba said, worry hiding in his tone.

Her lips slowly melted into a frown, her eyebrows knitting together. And then, something so sudden, so out of no where... her eyes began to brim with tears.

Kiba's eyes widened a little, as Akamaru whimpered, "...Jade."

Her vision was going blurry, more tears welling in her eyes as she tried to keep her focus on Kiba. Her mind was slowly drifting into those thoughts of Kitai and the wolves, and she was desperately trying to keep her eyes and thoughts on Kiba.

A frown embossed its way onto Kiba's face, as he looked at her - ignoring the people walking past him wondering what was wrong. Pretty much everyone in the village knew how close the two were, so it was odd to see Jade cry... while he just looked on.

_"What's wrong_ _with you!?" _

'No...' Jade's thoughts were spinning. 'Don't think back to that... Think... Kiba... he's right there...' A few tears spilled to the ground, but she didn't do anything to stop them.

What was _wrong_ with her lately!? She only made a fist. This was so stupid...

"Jade, are you okay...?"

Kiba's voice...

How could such a happy day turn into this? Turn into these thoughts she was trying to store away...

And then Kiba did something he didn't do all that often. He wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her gently. And at first she did nothing - but then she managed to move her own arms up to wrap them securely around him. She could feel her tears dissolving, and the ones that had managed to escape soaking into Kiba's chest.

She closed her eyes, thoughts of Kitai and her wolves also dissolving to the back of her mind - fading from the eyes of her mind... Because even with all of this... she still had a sanctuary to retreat to...

* * *

Translations:

**Gomen**: Sorry

A/N: Well... not much to say here, either. Probably didn't see the end part coming, didya!? ;D Hehheh...heh... -sweatdrop- OK, perhaps you did. But if you didn't... then, I don't know. -moar sweatdrop- It's about 2:30 in the morning right now, and I'm tired. x'D Anyway, I think Sasuke was a tad OOC here... So sorry if you also found that... But anyway, with the last hug... I'm aware that Kiba hugged her last chapter. But... just clarifying he doesn't do this much. Hope you enjoyed the chapter, reviews are very welcome! 3


	4. Best Friends

Replies to Reviews;

**Sir Greatness**; Emotion is what I tried to get in there, so I'm glad I got it through. ^-^ And yes, it definitely seems that these Kitai thoughts aren't going to go away easily. Thanks for noticing that, too~. Thanks a ton for the review!

**Jeffismyhero1217**: I'm sorry that you were confused. ^-^;; Thank you for the review!

**KibaGirl**; She's definitely feeling weak about it, and that's what this chapter's going to revolve around mostly - just as a heads up. x] Kiba's there, but of course Akamaru is too. ;) And again with the foreshadowing... well, yeah... you'll have to wait and see. Thanks for the review!

* * *

"Jade? Hey, what's up...?" Kiba asked that morning, rubbing his tired eyes as he opened the door to his house to find Jade there looking quite dishevelled.

"I know it's early, but..." she fidgeted, "...Can you help me with something?"

"With what?" he asked, Akamaru walking out the doorway and outside for some fresh air.

"I... wanna do some training," she said quietly, watching his eyes flicker. She shifted her own eyes down to Akamaru, who was sprawled out on the stone ground outside the Inuzuka compound.

"Why wouldn't you just train with Naruto, or something?" he questioned, leaning against the doorway - his eyes curious.

"I... wanted to train with you," she admitted sheepishly, looking back up to meet his unique eyes. He was quiet for a moment, before rubbing some more sand from his eyes and parting from the doorway, "I'll be right out, just let me get dressed."

"Okay."

oOo

"Ready for another round?" Kiba called, standing in a forest clearing with Jade. She was standing in the middle, the clouds parting away from the sun to let the light shine down on the area they were in.

She just gave a simple nod, and Akamaru barked to let her know what was coming. Without another word Kiba sent a round of kunai flying toward her, which she blocked with her own. She missed a few, and one or two grazed her arms or legs.

"Yahoo! Good job!" Kiba said, coming towards her with Akamaru barking happily alongside him. She sat down on the ground, propping one leg up and putting a hand to her ankle, "I got hit..."

"Yeah, that's OK. You got most of 'em," Kiba grinned, but she remained silent.

"No, I mean..." she took her hand off, her palm covered with blood, "...I got _hit._"

Eyes wide, Kiba immediately dropped to his knees taking her ankle in his hands, "Aw man... sorry..."

"It's not your fault," she said, watching as he took out a few bandages. "I was supposed to block them..." she put her hands out behind her back, propping herself up to sit.

"Yeah, well..." he trailed off, ripping off the acess bandage and setting her ankle down. "What made you wanna train anyway?"

She moved her foot around a little, flinching slightly at the small pain coming from her ankle, "... It felt like something I had to do... I've been feeling weak ever since bumping into Kitai..."

"Your mind's really stuck on her, isn't it?" Kiba asked, softly and heartfelt while Jade kept her eyes on her newly bandaged ankle.

"Yeah, I guess..."

"You should stop thinking about that..." he said quietly, Akamaru whimpering in agreement.

"I can't..." she barely managed, looking up to meet his eyes. They seemed concerned as her own quivered out of place.

"Really getting to you,... isn't it?" he asked, breaking the small silence that was about to take over.

She just nodded, before touching her bandages, "Uh, thanks. For taking care of me, uh, that... I mean..." she inwardly sighed at her flustering, but he just showed one of his amused grins.

"No problem. Does it hurt much?"

She was about to answer until something caught her eye. She focussed on the bushes across the clearing, seeing them move and then remain still. Maybe it was just the breeze... but she could've sworn she saw gray peeking out from under the leaves.

"Jade?" Kiba repeated, following her gaze to the bushes. When he saw nothing was there he looked back to her, "What's the matter?"

"I thought I saw something..." she said quietly, not taking her eyes off the bushes.

Kiba looked down to Akamaru who shook his head a little, whimpering. He looked back to the bushes again, and then back to her - she was already facing him when he did.

"Akamaru doesn't smell anything," he told her. "You're probably just being paranoid."

"Yeah, that's... probably it..." she said quietly. "Um... let's do another round..."

Kiba made a face, "You sure? Your ankle..." he took note of the faint red spreading throughout the bandage.

"It's fine," she said, trying to stand up, but she fell over onto her ankle. She yelped, her hands shooting down to clutch her ankle.

Kiba frowned, Akamaru softly pawing her, "Are you OK?"

"Y-yeah," she flinched, sighing.

"...I should take you to Kurenai Sensei or something, come on," he said, moving his hands out towards her.

"Why? It's fine," she objected, sitting up some.

"Or I can take you to Kakashi Sensei, it doesn't matter."

"But it's OK," she repeated, but he didn't seem convinced.

"I know it's not a big injury, but I still want Kurenai Sensei to check it out. OK?"

She sighed again, "OK..."

"Here..." he helped her to stand up, steadying her when her ankle threatened to give out. "I should carry you..." he said, as she struggled to wobble a few shaky steps.

She pressed one hand to her forehead, clutching Kiba's shoulder with the other, "Man..." she groaned.

"Hey, it's fine," he told her, scooping her up to carry her bridal style. "Nothing to be ashamed of."

A blush spread across her face as she rested her head against his chest, her arms around his neck, "...Thanks."

"Not a problem," he replied, beginning to walk out of the clearing with Akamaru by his side. She kept quiet, her eyes on the gray of Kiba's jacket - it made her think back to the grey in those bushes. She gave a small shake of the head - she was just being paranoid. Akamaru hadn't smelt anything, so she was probably just imagining things.

Being in Kiba's arms was nice, and she could faintly hear the beating of his heart thumping inside his chest. It was relaxing, her eyes closing over. She could feel her own heart trouncing as she opened her eyes again, peeking up to steal a glance at her dog-like friend.

He must've noticed this since he glanced down at her, her cheeks brightening, "You alright?"

She nodded quickly, "I- I can walk..."

"No, give your ankle a rest, OK?"

"Yeah, okay..."

It was quiet for a moment before Kiba cleared his throat, "Do... you wanna watch the sunset tonight? We... missed it last night."

Her mind flashed to Kiba holding her in the middle of the street, her body shaking with choked tears.

She blinked, her eyes shooting up to his face, "You... want to?"

"You don't have to if you don't want to," he said, showing an awkward grin.

"No, I want to."

She felt her ankle stinging, and with her own nervous expression she batted her eyes worriedly up at Kiba, "Please don't drop me.. It kinda hurts..." she admitted, closing her eyes and inwardly sighing at herself.

Kiba just chuckled, "I promise I won't."

A smile touched her lips when she felt him tighten his grip on her, as she let her head rest against him again.

"Thank you."

oOo

"It doesn't seem too bad, and it's not deep. We should probably just clean it up, and get some fresh bandages," Kurenai said, crouched to the ground with Jade's ankle in hand. She was leaning against one of the walls of Ichiraku, Kiba supporting her.

"We should clean it with alcohol," Kurenai said, gently putting Jade's foot down and standing up. "Kiba, sit her down - I'll be right back."

"Got it," he nodded, as his Sensei ran off. He carefully guided Jade to one of the stools at the stand, and then leaned back up against the wall again.

"It's gonna sting..." she said, making a face.

"It's not that bad," Kiba said, another of his amused grins on his face. "Besides, doesn't it sting already?"

"Yeah... but with alcohol it'll sting even more," she sweatdropped.

"Well, me and Akamaru are here," he reassured her, which made her smile.

"Hey, what happened?" another voice cut in.

Jade and Kiba both looked to the seat next to Jade, to see Naruto with ramen noodles hanging from his mouth. He quickly slurped them up, "To your ankle?"

"...and Naruto," Kiba muttered quietly, crossing his arms as Jade just smiled shyly and swung her foot a little.

"I... hurt it."

"Well, duh! How'd you hurt it?" he asked, a certain sharpness in his tone.

"I just did.."

Kiba raised an eyebrow - why wouldn't she tell them that they were training?

"Whatever," Naruto groaned. "Well are you OK?"

"Yeah, thanks."

With that she looked away, her eyes shooting down to the ground. Then her eyes trailed up to meet Kiba's - one of his eyebrows still raised in question.

With an expression like a deer in headlights she quickly turned her head away, and at the same time Naruto noticed Kiba.

"Oh, Kiba's here. Hey."

The Inuzuka boy sweatdropped, with a somewhat cold, "Hey" of his own escaping from his lips. And at that moment Kurenai returned, a bottle of alcohol in one hand and a small cotton cloth in the other.

Jade's face paled suddenly, as she absentmindedly reached a hand down and grabbed Kiba's hand - who looked to her in surprise.

With an amused and foxy smirk, Naruto returned to his ramen - slurping the noodles and soup up like it was the first thing he had eaten... in days.

Jade squeezed Kiba's hand, who gave her a funny look, "We didn't even do anything yet..."

"I.. I know," she mumbled, frustrated on the inside while Kurenai crouched back down by her ankle and carefully poured some alchol onto the cloth.

"Uh, wait, wait..." Jade stuttered, as Kurenai neared her ankle with the substance. The woman stopped, looking up at her with question, but Jade looked up to Kiba - her eyes searching for reassurance and comfort. With a quirky grin he gave her hand a squeeze back, and Akamaru nudged against her.

"Ah, Jade-chan it won't be that bad! You're just over-reacting!" Naruto exclaimed, swinging around in his stool - his foot bumping Kurenai's hand and making her spill the open bottle of alchol all over Jade's ankle.

And with a scream combined with shock and pain Jade leapt up, hitting her back hard on the counter and then almost falling off of the stool until Kiba put an arm out.

Kurenai's eyes were wide, "I'm sorry!"

Kiba's eyes were also wide, filled with surprisement but also concern, "Are you, uh, OK?"

And eyes wide as goose eggs, Naruto could only just stare at his teammate, who was shaking with anger - a faint growl escaping her lips, the alcohol still somewhat stinging her flesh; "NARUTO!"

"I'm sorry!"

Kiba and Kurenai pressed their hands to their foreheads, and Akamaru's ears flopped as Jade rang Naruto a good one - knocking him off of his stool, where in the process, she had stood up and put weight on her already stinging ankle. And now she was sitting on the ground, once again clutching her ankle, "...ow..."

The same noise came from Naruto, his ramen bowl atop his blond head of spikes and spirals in his eyes.

oOo

"Hey, um," Kiba started, trying to peek up at Jade, whom he was piggybacking to the hill they usually watched their sunsets on. "Earlier, at Ichiraku... with Naruto..."

"You can let me down, now," she told him, as he did so. She made herself comfy, stretching her legs out in front of her. Akamaru climbed into her lap, curling up as Kiba took a seat next to her.

"So what about Naruto?" she asked.

"You never told him how you hurt you ankle," he said, curiosity in his voice. "Why didn't you tell him we were training?" He paused for a moment there, then said, "Did you think he'd be mad you didn't train wiht him or something?"

"No, that's not it," she replied. Her eyes wavered on Kiba's face for a second, "It's just that... I've been really frustrated by my weakness towards those wolves and Kitai. And you're right... it's really bothering me. I just... didn't want to show Naruto, or the others... that it was..." Then she made a face, "...If that makes any sense at all."

"Then why me?" he asked, in almost a murmur - taking note of her chocolate irises widening slightly. Pink was on her cheeks as she shyly answered, "You're my best friend."

A simple answer, but on the inside it made him feel good.

"And I guess that isn't enough," he thought he heard her laugh as she said that. "I can trust you, Kiba. And I know... you're always going to be there. You and Akamaru. For me..."

His face softened at her words, "I could say the exact same thing to you. You're _my_ best friend."

"I mean... you carried around my deadweight all day to give me ankle a rest!" she giggled, rubbing Akamaru's ears as Kiba grinned to her with his own chuckle, "You're not that heavy, Jade. It's not a problem."

A Jade-esque smirk was on her lips, "Yeah, OK."

They both looked to see the sun finally beginning to dim into the sky; warm colors contrasting with faded clouds.

"I _know_ you care, Kiba," she mumured out of no where. "Both you and Akamaru. And I care about you guys too."

"Yeah, we do care about you," he agreed.

"I think..." she paused for a good moment, giggling a little. "...that we're like soulmates."

"Soulmates, huh?" fangs peeked out over a grin.

"Just joking," she laughed, his grin widening some.

She just showed him another smile before turning away - her face somewhat troubled. Her bottom lip was sticking out in a small pout, her eyes had softened, and her eyebrows had slightly knitten together. She hadn't meant soulmates by... I mean, she... There must be a reason they were both there for each other, right? They were best friends. They trusted each other, they cared for each other. She had meant it in more of a friendly way. She was very glad to have Kiba as a friend - a best friend.

But on the inside, half of her knew that there was hidden meaning in her mention of soulmates. She cherished the friendship, though wanting something more - she was afraid.

On the term soulmates, the only kind they must be meant to be was true best friends...

* * *

A/N: I had no idea what to call this chapter... At first I was just gonna call it 'Training'. That seemed boring. Then I thought I'd call it 'Soulmates' instead... I was iffy about that. I settled on 'Best Friends'.. still iffy, but I'd prefer that than 'Soulmates'.

And just to clarify, Jade didn't mean soulmates like _that_. Like the last line, the only kind of soulmates she assumes they must be is best friends. So I guess that is a more suitable title for the chapter. Uh, let me know, though. haha.

Ah, and Naruto. Poor Naruto. You should've just eaten your ramen like a good little ninja. x]

Hope you enjoyed the chapter, review please!


	5. Photograph

Replies to Reviews;

**Sir Greatness**: Kiba's definitely trying to help her get out of this Kitai rut, even if it's with the simplest things like helping her to train to get her mind off of it. She definitely forgets at least a little when she's with him and Akamaru. Glad you see that. And Naruto, well... poor Naruto, indeed. He never _does_ get a break does he? Just know I'm not trying to pick on him, I love the little guy. :P Thanks for the review!

**KibaGirl:** Ugh, I hate alcohol. I don't use it either, stings too much for me too. I thought it'd be funny to fling it in here. x'D Not to be blunt or anything, but I guess that she does love him. Really she uses 'crush' to define it... but Kakashi seems to see through that little defense. :P Sorry I took so long on this update. I've had some things going on lately... But I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for the review!

**As she sings: **I definitely did not take that in any kind of bad way. I'm all for the constructive criticism, so I appeciate your honest opinion. ^_^ I know fluff is hard to write, and I'm certainly no master - but I throw cheesy things in on purpose sometimes. It's almost my style, I guess. I love cheesy things, not terribly disgusting cheesiness - but enough for a little giggle, even if it may come off as an attempt at fluff. x'D If that makes any sense. About the soap opera thing... I find it funny that it comes off like that to you, hehe. But the story's going to get more dramatic later on, not to give anything away. I hope that effect doesn't really bother you. ^^" But I'm sure most girls could relate to having a crush on a close friend, feeling weak. I'm rambling now... But thank you for the honest review. I really do appreciate it, thank you! ^_^

**XxMichyBabyxX: **Thank you for the review! ^_^

* * *

"Kiba!"

The Inuzuka boys ears perked up as he turned slowly on his heel, Akamaru slowing with him. He only blinked as his best friend came running on up to him - a cat like grin on her lips.

"Yeah, what is it?" he asked, blinking again and comparing how wary she looked when he first saw her the other day and how happy she looked right now.

"Wanna hang out? Kakashi Sensei gave us the day off," she winked with happy snicker.

"Yeah, sure," he turned again, as she joined him on his other side, since Akamaru already occupied one.** "**Why the sudden change of mood?" he asked a few moments after.

"Hn," her lips curved downward slightly. "I'm.. usually happy, Kiba." Her tone was somewhat bitter as she shifted her eyes, catching his on her.

He pressed his lips into a firm line, "Yeah, I know. It's just... you've been sort of, you know.. off since..." he stopped there. He knew it was really bothering her, so why bring it up flat out? So much for avoiding it all together...

"Do you think I'm acting differently, Kiba?" she mumbled, playing with her fingers.

His expression was wary, "You used to be so happy... I mean, yeah, you still are. Just... not as much... with the whole... you know..." he stumbled with the whole statement.

He expected her to frown, or mumble a response but instead she just laughed; "Do... you have any idea what you just said?" And all he did was smile.

"So how's your ankle?" he asked, noticing it was still bandaged.

"Better. Doesn't really hurt to put weight on it," she explained. "I can walk, and run. Uh, haven't tried jumping or anything like that, yet..."

"Maybe that's why Kakashi gave you the day off," he gave a quirky grin, but she paused in her footsteps.

"You think so?"

Oh, good one Kiba...

"No, not that way," he told her quickly. "But I mean, don't you think it'd be a good idea to give it a break anyway?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

"So what do you want to do?" he asked her after a moment passed.

"Whatever you wanna do," she shrugged, his quirky grin coming back.

"OK... how about Ichiraku? I'm sort of hungry."

"Haha, I think you're turning into Naruto," she teased, playfully punching his arm as Akamaru barked happily. Kiba just recoiled in horror, "T-take that back!"

"Uh-uh," she tauned, wagging a finger.

"Forget it! Let's get barbeque instead!"

"Akamaru's not allowed in," she pointed out, her energy dying down again. Kiba lowered his eyes down to Akamaru, who barked.

"Guess Ichiraku it is, then!" her voice sounded again, as he pressed a hand to his forehead.

oOo

"So, are we going to watch the sunset tonight or not?" Kiba asked, once he and Jade had finished eating.

"Um, yeah. But I'm gonna run home for a second... I'll meet you there," she said, slipping off her stool and standing up.

"Uh, I'll go with you," he said, getting off his own stool.

"No, it's fine!" she exclaimed quickly. "It's nothing. I'll meet you there, soon!" And then she ran off, leaving the Inuzuka with a clueless expression on his face and a ramen bill to pay.

oOo

"A camera?" Kiba had his arms outstretched behind him as he sat on the hill, Jade walking over and sitting down beside him.

"Yeah," she murmured, checking the film. (A/N: I have no idea how those old cameras work, haha.)

"What for?" he asked, as she aimed the lense at Akamaru - who was slumbering in the grass at their feet.

"So I can keep memories of happy times alive," she said quietly, pressing down on the shutter button. In a moment the picture dispensed from the camera, as she carefully pulled it out. Kiba couldn't help a soft smile from forming on his lips as she shook the paper, delicately holding the top corners with her index fingers and thumbs. Soon Akamaru became visible on the sheet, as Jade grinned turning it toward Kiba, "Whaddya think? Akamaru's pretty photogenic, un?" she joked.

"It's not his fault he's such a handsome pup," he boasted as she set the photograph aside.

"He's easily the most handsome dog in Konoha," she added with a playful roll of the eyes. She held up the camera again, "How 'bout one of you? And smile, don't try to seem so tough and wild!"

"I am wild," he muttered, awkwardly posing for the lense. "Um, try and get my good side, OK?"  
She lowered the camera only to give him one of those 'looks', "Don't worry. All your sides are... good..." she added quietly, raising the camera again to hide her face. "Now smile. Try not to look so posed!"

"I am posed," he moaned, scratching his head.

"Just..." she trailed off. "... be natural."

"Easier said then done," he mumbled to himself, screwing up his face and looking down at Akamaru.

Jade's eyes lit, "There! Sit down by Akamaru - you oughta be natural around him."

"Oh, yeah you're right," he said, crawling down by his nin-dog.

"Now forget about me and pat him," she told him, raising the camera once again. Comfortable again, Kiba stroked Akamaru's fur while Jade pressed the shutter.  
"Did you take it?" he asked, sitting straight. "Did you get my good side? What about Akamaru?"

Rolling her eyes to herself she took the sheet out, shaking it a little until Kiba and Akamaru appeared on it. She smiled, "There. Looks good to me."

"Look posed? Lemme see it!" Kiba fussed, as she handed him the photograph. He grinned, "Hey, that's good. And you got both our good sides."

She only sighed, setting the camera down beside her along with the photo of Akamaru.

"Hey, what about one of you and me?" Kiba said simply, Jade looking up from the camera.

"I... like taking pictures more than I like being in them," she mumbled sheepishly, Kiba scooting closer to her and reaching an arm out to take the camera.

"What're you talking about? C'mon, one of you and me. Just one," he made a face as he messed with the camera. "Uh, how do you work this thing?"

"You press the b-" Before she could finish Kiba's finger slipped on the button, accidently taking a picture of her foot.

"Nice picture," she murmured with a warm smile as she took the dispensed sheet.

He laughed nervously, "Uh, yeah. It's... abstract."

"Uh, do you want me to take the picture?" she asked quietly, slightly raising a hand to take the camera.

"Nah, I will. Now smile!" he told her, pressing his shoulder against hers. She strained a smile while he put on a wide grin, snapping the shutter button. When the photo dispensed he made a face, "No, that's no good. You look too uncomfortable. C'mon, Jade, it's me! Smile!"

"OK, I will," she said, as he pressed his side against hers a second time. He put on another grin, flashing the peace sign while she gave a simple, happy smile.

"OK, let's see how this bad boy took," Kiba mumbled to himself, waiting for the photo to dispense while Jade shook her head to herself.

He grinned, fangs peeking out over his lip as the photo dispensed, "Hey, yeah! That's a good one. Take a look."

She took the photo from him and looked it over, "Yeah, that is a nice one."

He nodded, "Whaddya say to just one more? You can take it this time."

"Yeah, OK," she agreed taking the camera from him. "Say cheese... or... something..."

"Ch-!" he was cut off when Akamaru leapt at a butterfly fluttering past him and Jade, both of them shouting in surprise - making Jade accidentally press the shutter button. She gasped lightly as the photograph began to come out.

"Uh, we can take it again," Kiba said sheepishly, as she pulled the sheet out and shook it. She just smiled, "No... I like it. The way it is."

He raised an eyebrow, taking the picture from her. He just laughed. Both their mouths were open from the shouts, their eyes wide too. All with Akamaru's rear right in the middle of the focus.

"That part of Akamaru's... _not_ that handsome," he chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Well I think I can do something with this," she smiled, taking the photograph back from him.

"Like what? Painting over Akamaru's, uh... end?" he cleared his throat slightly.

She laughed, "No... But... You'll see." She set the picture down with the others and looked to the sky. "For now... let's just watch the sunset."

"Sounds good to me."

Akamaru agreed to this with a happy bark.

* * *

A/N: I apologize that the update took so long. And I also apologize for the insane **shortness** of this chapter. I wish I could've made it a bit longer... but I didn't want to merge the purpose of the next chapter with this one - though they sort of go together. Hope you liked it, anyway though! ^_^

Question; What do you think Jade's going to do with that "negative" photograph (AKA accidental photo of Akamaru's butt... x'D). Answer honestly, I'm not afraid of crazy minds. x'D


	6. Promise

Replies to Reviews:

**Sir Greatness**; Thanks a lot for your reveiw! I'm glad you think they'd make a good pair, lol ^_^

**KibaGirl**: Hehe, I don't mean for Kiba to always get stuck with the ramen bill.. but I noticed that, too. Must be absentminded. xD And I must agree, Kiba does have no badside. ;) Thanks for the review!

* * *

The next morning Jade made her way over to the Inuzuka compound, knocking on the door and then standing back patiently.

She had been expecting Kiba, but it was Tsume who opened the door to her. (Tsume is Kiba's mum for those who don't know.)

"Oh, morning Tsume," she said, before correcting herself, "Um, Mrs Inuzuka."

"Morning, Jade," she greeted back. "Tsume is fine, thanks. You lookin' for Kiba?"

She just nodded, as Tsume opened the door wider, "Come in."

Just as she stepped in, Hana was passing by before noticing her. "Hey, morning Jade. Looking for Kiba?" she smiled and Jade just nodded again. (And Hana is Kiba's older sister for those who don't know.)

"Call Kiba there, please, Hana," Tsume told her.

"Kiba!" Hana called up the stairs. There was a bark and then Kiba's voice, "Yeah, what is it, sis?" the voice got louder as he came plodding down the stairs, Akamaru following behind him.

"Your girlfriend is here," she replied, a mischevious and knowing smirk on her lips.

Kiba's eyes shifted over to Jade, his cheeks reddening. "She's not my girlfriend," he mumbled sheepishly.

Jade tried to keep her expression firm, but she couldn't stop her cheeks from going a soft pink.

Kiba came over to her, putting a hand on her back and walking her out the door and away from Hana - Akamaru trotting after them. Once outside he closed the door behind them and then looked to her, "What's up?"

"I just wanted to know if you wanted to do something," she replied quietly.

Kiba twisted his lips, "I can't. I have a mission out of the village."

"Oh..."

"I know, I'm sorry... But I'll be back for the sunset. Don't worry," he grinned.

"Alright," she smiled a little.

"You don't have a mission again?" he asked her, twisting his lips again.

Her bottom lip stuck out into a pout, "Kakashi-sensei took Naruto and Sasuke on a small mission. He told me to take it easy on my ankle - but it feels fine." To prove her point she began hopping on one foot - that foot being her injured one. Kiba looked skeptical as she continued to jump around - all until her ankle buckled and she fell into his chest. He caught her under her arms.

"You OK?" there was a quirky grin on his lips as her cheeks heat up again.

"Um, yeah," she answred sheepishly.

"Anyway, I better get going," he told her, standing her straight again.

"Yeah, OK..." there was a half smile on her face as he took a few steps back. "But..."

He paused, Akamaru stopping with him, "What is it?"

She reached a hand to her pouch, but then stopped - her hand wavering by it, "Um..." she paused, Kiba just looking on. "...Be careful," she said quietly, putting on a smile. Kiba just continued to look at her - not exactly believing that that was what she was originally going to say - but then he smiled, too, "Thanks." She only nodded to him, as he began running out of the compound, "See you later!" he called. "Meet you for the sunset."

"Alright. Be careful..." she called back. Akamaru returned a bark, and Kiba grinned again, "Can do!"

Jade watched as he disappeared, her lips curving downwards and eyes shifting down. She reached a hand into her pouch, taking something out and holding it in her fist. She brought it in front of her face, letting the object fall and holding it by the chain it was attatched to. A small, golden heart hung from a gold chain as she let it dangle there. With a frown she brought it back into her palm, closing her hand around it - her and Kiba's pictures inside. She had cut up the one they had taken the other day; the one Akamaru had jumped into.

With a sigh she tucked the locket back into her pouch, leaving the Inuzuka property with a heavy heart.

oOo

"Shikamaru?" Jade's upper body hung over Shikamaru's, who was sprawled out in the grass - his hands tucked behind his head on the hill Jade and Kiba watched their sunsets on.

He slowly cracked an eye open to see who it was, and seeing that it was a girl he groaned - not that he wouldn't anyway upon being waken up from such a nice nap.

"Yeah, what is it?" he asked groggily, as she continued to look down at him and blink her chocolate eyes. With a small smile she came around, taking a seat next to him and then laying down beside him. She turned her head his way, and he did the same, "I didn't know you liked to come out here, Shikamaru." she said.

"Go figure. You only come out here for the sunsets," he replied, propping one of his legs up on the other. (I don't know how to explain it... xD But like, his legs are crossed while laying down... if you understand xD)

"Me and Kiba," she told him firmly, a sudden bluntness in her voice. This time it was Shikamaru's turn to blink, something flickering behind his eyes.

"Sorry, I forgot. How troublesome..."

"So where's Ino and Chouji?" she asked, her voice returning to its usual softness and quiet nature.

"Ino's helping out at the shop, and Chouji's training," he answered, laying his head back to look up at the clouds. "I guess Asuma Sensei is out somewhere with Kurenai. I don't know."

"Squad Eight's on a mission out of the village today," she told him nonchalantly, also looking up at the clouds.

"Oh. So that's why you're not with him."

"Un?" she turned her head towards Shikamaru again, flickering eyes.

"Kiba, I mean," he sighed, closing his eyes.

"Oh. Yeah..." she turned back again. "He said he'd be back for the sunset... I really hope he is."

Cracking a single eye open Shikamaru peeked at her from the corner, "I guess it's not really like me to notice or ask, or even get my nose into it... considering it's so troublesome... But, you sound kinda sad, Jade."

"I'm-I'm not," her voice trembled. "I've spent days without Kiba before, and I've been just fine."

Opening both of his eyes Shikamaru cocked an eyebrow, "Who said anything about him?"

"Well... n-no-one I guess," she lowered her eyes. "But you know... I'm sort of by myself today. Kakashi Sensei brought Naruto and Sasuke out on a mission, and left me behind because of my ankle - even though it's really not that bad. And now Kiba's gone, and Akamaru..." She inwardly sighed, "There's no one left."

She heard Shikamaru cough from beside her and then grumble a few slurred words.

She felt her face heat up with embarassment, giggling nervously, "Eh, you don't mind if I cloudwatch with you, do you Shikamaru?"

"I guess not," he mumbled, obviously somewhat offended.

An awkward smile appeared on her lips, "Actually, I think I'll go now." She sat up, looking down at Shikamaru who looked back up at her.

"Hey, you can stick around. I don't mind," his actions spoke differently though, as his eyes flicked back up to the clouds, drowsy and almost closing.

"Nah, I have... have stuff to do," she showed a sincere smile, picking herself up - not realizing that something fell out of her pouch in the process.

Shikamaru's eye cracked open again, spotting the object. He picked it up, sitting up with it - then letting it hang by the chain. He looked over his shoulder at Jade who was walking away, "Hey!" he called, Jade stopping and turning to see the locket glisten in his fingers. "You dropped something."

Her eyes widened as she quickly made her way over, tripping on the way and landing in front of the locket on her hands and knees, "Heh heh..." a nervous laugh escaped her as she took the locket from him. "Yeah, thanks."

"What is it?" he asked lazily, his upper body turning towards her.

"Just... just nothing, um," amidst her fumble the locket dropped from her loose and now sweating hands, hitting the grass and accidentally opening up.

"Ee!" she shrieked, her face turning beet red as Shikamaru picked it up again. He leaned back on one hand, holding the locket with the other and looking down at it - one eyebrow cocked.

"You like Kiba, huh?" he stated nonchalantly.

"N-no. No!" a fat sweatdrop rolled down the back of her head before snatching the locket from his hands and closing it over.

"Were you going to give that to him?" Shikamaru asked, turning again.

"No, I---!" her frantic eyes suddenly turned desperate, as she took him by the shoulders, "Please don't tell anyone! Shikamaru!"

"Why would I tell anyone?" he asked, annoyed as he pushed her off of him. "That'd be troublesome, and it wouldn't benefit me. It'd be pointless."

"Yeah, I guess..." she mumbled, sitting back with slouched shoulders - fingering the locket.

"So, am I the only one?" he asked boredly, laying back again.

Jade continued to sit on her knees, tucking the locket back into her pouch - tucking it far, _far_ down, "Huh?"

"Who knows," he added.

"Oh, no," she pouted a little. "Kakashi Sensei knows... And Naruto."

"You were scared _I_ would tell?" he said under his breath, mostly to himself. She just touched her fingers together, "Naruto's kind of like a brother to me... I don't know... I thought he should know."

"He didn't tell anyone?" Shikamaru asked skeptically.

"No," she replied defiantly, before shrinking back a little and in a smaller voice, "...Not that I know of."

"Hn."

She groaned, until crossing her arms, "No. No, Naruto wouldn't do that. I know he wouldn't." She looked down at Shikamaru, "You promise _you_ won't?"

He nodded, "Yeah, sure. Promise."

She let a small smile onto her lips - but her stomach was now wrapped in a huge knot.

oOo

"Hey, uh, Kurenai Sensei..." Kiba's eyes shifted from the sky, which was just beginning to light up with an orange hue, to his Sensei, "We'll be home by sunset, right?"

Hinata turned her head to see his face firm, but she noticed his teeth biting down on his bottom lip. She turned her attention to Kurenai when she spoke, though, "We might be a little late for that, Kiba." she paused, stopping in her steps, "Why?"

"Uh, nothing," he replied, beginning to walk and bringing the rest of the group with him. He exhaled a little, "I just...made a promise to someone."

"I see," said Kurenai, "We'll try and make it. I can't guarantee we'll be there right on the dot, though."

"Yeah, OK. That's good enough," he muttered, averting his eyes down towards Akamaru who was walking a little ahead of him. "Hm," his eyes widened with curiosity, raising his head again and looking to Hinata - her eyes planted on him. "What is it, Hinata?"

Angry pink scribbled the Hyuuga girls cheeks, as she waved her hands, "N-nothing, Kiba-kun!"

Cocking an eyebrow he made a sort of 'hmph' sound and looked ahead of him, "Yeah, ok... whatever."

Blowing a cool breath, Hinata turned to Shino, who was walking next to her, "Kiba seems a bit anxious. Don't you think Shino-kun?"

He didn't answer for a minute, before taking a step ahead of her, "It _is_ getting close to sunset."

"Huh?" curious, pale violet eyes widened before softening. "Oh."

Ahead of them Kiba looked off to the side, trees crowding the area. Akamaru paused beside him, sniffing the air.

"You smell that, too, boy?" he asked quietly, Akamaru whimpering softly. His eyes were narrowed as he looked into the trees, before realizing he had been standing there a little too long and Kurenai was looking back at him, "I thought you wanted to get back by sunset?" she inquired.

With one last glance at the trees he began walking again, "Yeah, I do."

"Kiba..." Hinata whispered worriedly, her and Shino's eyes on him from behind.

oOo

"I guess he's not coming," Jade murmured to herself, hugging her knees to her chest and resting her chin on them.

She shouldn't get mad at him, or upset, right? Even if he promised, it was still a mission, who knows how long it could take...

She lifted her head a little, the sky blended with all sorts of warm colors - orange, yellow, pinks. The sun was beginning to disappear beyond the horizon when Jade released a heavy breath, realizing sunsets weren't the same without Kiba. Without Kiba they were just... sunsets. Plain old sunsets - nothing special. With Kiba, though... sunsets were magic.

This sunset was definitely missing its spark. There was just something missing, and Jade couldn't help but feel empty.

"I wish Shikamaru was still here, at least," she mumbled, hugging her knees tighter. Her eyelids lowered; No. That wouldn't be the same. She'd have the company, but it wouldn't fill that special gap that was missing.

First all the crap with Kitai and her stupid wolves. Then Kakashi takes her off missions; for an ankle that's not even bad anymore! Next Shikamaru finds out about Kiba. And _now_, Kiba wasn't here and she was alone.

"How troublesome," she muttered between gritted teeth.

"Haha, you sound kinda mad. What's the problem?" a familiar, rough and cocky voice asked - Jade lifting her head from her knees to see Kiba sit down next to her, setting his backpack down behind him.

"Kiba!"

"Sorry, I still have my stuff. I came straight here," he told her, stretching and leaning back on his elbows. "Sorry I'm late."

"I didn't think you were coming," she said, stretching her legs out in front of her.

"Hey, I made a promise!" he exclaimed with a cheeky grin. "You really think I'd break it?"

A warm smile, "No. I don't think you would."

He closed his eyes with pleasure for a second, before opening them and looking to the sky, "It's really nice tonight." She only nodded, pulling her legs up to her chest again.

Akamaru settled himself down at their feet as usual, resting his head in the grass and closing his eyes.

"So, what'd you do all day?" Kiba inquired.

"Nothing really," she shrugged. "I talked to Shikamaru for a while, I guess."

One eyebrow raised, "Shikamaru?"

"Yeah," she just nodded again before her eyes went wide, "Oh yeah!" Kiba watched her curiously as she picked herself up, digging around in her pouch for something.

Kiba stood up, too - his body dangerously close to Jade's which made her stop digging around and pause for a moment, her cheeks heating.

"_Oh yeah_, what?" Kiba asked.

Blinking, she continued to dig around, "Oh, right. Sorry." When she finally found what she was looking for she took it out, "Here it is." She closed her hand around it, reaching her arms out and around Kiba's neck.

Tense, Kiba's leaned back a little, his cheeks red, "What're you doing?" He felt something cool slip around his neck, and then Jade stood back with one of her innocent smiles.

Kiba looked down to see a golden locket around his neck, his eyebrows raising curiously as he took it between his fingers, "What's this for?"

"It's a locket. Look inside."

Carefully he pulled the two heart shaped sides apart to see their faces each in one half, "Hey, this is..."

"From that picture the other night. I told you I could do something with it." She watched him close it back over before quietly saying, "Promise me you'll never take it off.."

"Yeah, how come?" he asked, letting it hang by his neck again.

"Oh, well," she mumbled sheepishly, an amused grin creeping onto his lips. "For one thing..." she made a face, "I guess... as long as you wear it we'll be friends."

"OK, sounds good."

"Sounds stupid," she muttered under her breath, his amused grin growing. She looked back up at him, "Promise?"

"Yeah, I promise." She watched him take it between his fingers again, running his thumb across the rim, "Thanks."

"Yeah. Yeah, no problem," she replied with an awkward smile.

"I don't have anything for you, though."

"No, I don't need anything."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure," she sat down again, patting the grass beside her. "Let's just watch the sunset, OK?"

"OK," he said, taking a seat beside her again. "I have something to tell you, though."

She perked up, lips parted as if to say something but she remained silent, "...What is it?"

He didn't take his eyes off the sunset, but she could see that they were hard and slightly narrowed. "I... don't want you coming out here alone, too much," he said bluntly, his voice serious.

"Why not?" she asked, a slight tremble in her quiet voice.

"I just _don't_, alright?" he repeated,

"A-Alright..."

He released a tense breath, his eyes shifting to the side; they narrowed slightly, "Promise me that."

"I promise," she whispered.

* * *

A/N; PHEW. So I'm aware this took me practically **forever** to update - but I didn't want it to seem rushed like I found the last chapter to be. Plus I've been going insane trying to update my L story and Hitachiin Twins story. All that and a bag of doritos. I mean... all that and a bag of _potato chips_. OK, I mean all that _and_ I've been working on a Light Yagami (No, the world hasn't ended. Don't worry. Though, I'm not sure what's wrong with me, either xD) story - which I may or may not be posting here. Anyway, I just recently wrapped this chapter up and I'm pretty happy with it...with the exception of the part where you get to see things from Kiba's point of view. o3o" Well I guess it wasn't exactly from his P.O.V, but... usually you only get to see what's going on with Jade. Also... EEEEE o3o Shikamaru~. I'm pretty sure he's my second favorite Naruto boy. xD

K, also, for those who might of found it familiar - The part where Jade gives Kiba the locket was inspired by the Second InuYasha Movie. The last time I watched it was a few years ago, but still... that's what inspired it.

So anyway, quick question... Why do you think Kiba made Jade promise that she wouldn't come out there alone? And why do you think he was so serious about it?


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